Shipment of a parcel requires that information accompany the parcel as it is prepared for shipment, picked up by the carrier, transported, sorted, delivered to the recipient, unpacked, and so forth. The accompanying information (hereinafter called "parcel information") often falls into the following categories, among others: name and address of sender; name and address of recipient; routing codes; parcel identification number; name of carrier; date of shipment; C.O.D. amount; amount of declared value or insurance; shipping charges including charges for special services such as C.O.D. or declared value; purchase order number, date, etc.; invoice number, date, amount, etc.; packing list; and picking list.
The accompanying information is commonly in the form of alphanumeric characters printed on a label that is affixed to the parcel or on a piece of paper packed inside the parcel or carried along with the parcel. A limited amount of information, such as the routing code or the parcel identification number, may be printed in bar coded form on the parcel or on a label that is then affixed to the parcel.
The alphanumeric and/or bar coded form of the information has a number of disadvantages.
Alphanumeric information can be read by machines only with difficulty. Optical character readers (OCR's) are expensive. The type font, spacing and print quality of the characters, and their orientation and distance relative to the OCR, must be carefully controlled for accurate reading to occur.
Bar code readers are less expensive and more flexible than OCR's, but print quality, as well as orientation and distance relative to the reader, are still significant issues. Human intervention is usually required to establish the correct proximity and orientation between the bar code and the reader. If two or more bar codes are applied to the parcels at various times or for various purposes, human or machine errors in reading may easily occur. Soiling in transit or other damage to the bar coded label may also prevent proper reading.
A further disadvantage of alphanumeric characters and bar codes is the amount of physical surface area required to accommodate them. Only a limited number of alphanumeric characters can be printed on a shipping label before it becomes cluttered and difficult to read. Similarly, an accompanying sheet of paper can hold only so much alphanumeric information. If the number of accompanying sheets is increased, the chances of the sheets being lost or out of order also increases.
Bar codes also take up a significant amount of surface area. As the bar coded area increases so do the problems of distance and orientation relative to the reader as well as the amount of human time and attention required to insure proper reading.
In addition to a label affixed to each parcel and packing lists and other documents relating to a single parcel, it is common for groups of parcels to be accompanied by a document referred to as a manifest. The manifest is in a form and contains information required by the parcel carrier. It typically lists all the parcels in the group by parcel identification number, and indicates the shipping charge for each parcel. Other information typically included for each parcel in the group is parcel weight, destination zone, declared value, C.O.D. amount and the like. The manifest also usually states the total shipping charge for the entire group of parcels.
When the parcel carrier's representative picks up the group of parcels from the shipper he also receives the manifest. The carrier's representative uses the manifest to check the number and description of the group of parcels. Later the carrier's billing department uses the manifest to generate a bill to the shipper. The carrier may also use the information on the manifest for other purposes such as keeping track of operations.
Providing a manifest in paper form carries some disadvantages. When there are a large number of parcels in the group, the manifest consists of many pages, some which may be lost or placed out of order. Printing a lengthy manifest at the end of a day may delay dispatch of the parcels. The carrier's capture of data from the manifest, for billing and other purposes, is onerous, requiring a great deal of manual or keyboard entry of information.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a more convenient and efficient form in which to transport information related to and accompanying parcels.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a more convenient form in which to store information relating to the contents of a storage location for goods.